Choice
by MoonlitSky321
Summary: It must have been a hard choice. Choosing—between two things you desire the most... One-shot! :  Enjoy!


**_Note: _**_The thought won't leave my head and so, I decided to write it. Um, I do not know what to think of it. I'm not exactly satisfied with it. It was rushed and all, but I hope you guys like it! _

_I hope..._

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Detective Conan._

-.-

_**Choice**_

"_How far are you willing to go for love?"_

-.-

The door squeaked open slowly. A brunette's head peered around it, slowly taking in the darkened settings of the room. Through the large window, the full moon shined brilliantly, illuminating the darkened room dimly.

She could see the small figure sitting there on the wooden floor, his back against the cool wall, his lapis lazuli eyes looking at the moon. Looking but not seeing. It broke her heart. Before his sock covered feet, she could see the reflection of the glasses, lying abandoned. The moon shone on them for a minute before a cloud shifted towards it, covering its silver light.

She pushed open the door a little and entered; her soft padding steps lost against the wooden floor.

She hesitated just a few feet away, biting her lip.

He didn't look up, but he knew she was here. He could feel her...

"Shinichi...?"

"What are you doing here, Ran?" he whispered, his voice was not childish, although his body was still 7 years old.

His voice was mature, tired, pained, hurt. It was longing...for something that he couldn't have now.

Ran slowly sat down a few feet away from him. "I'm checking up on you. How...how are you?"

"I'm fine."

Ran felt her heart lurch.

She wanted to look in his eyes, but he kept them trained intently on the moon. She wanted to hold his hand, but he had them inside his pockets. She wanted to reach out and hug him, tell him that everything was alright, but her throat had a huge lump that didn't allow her to speak.

Time ticked by.

Swallowing roughly, Mouri Ran took a deep breath. "You know I'm not mad at you anymore, ne?"

He nodded slowly, still not looking at her.

"I want you to come over and live with us again." she whispered. When she saw him tense, she elaborated. "I don't like it that you're here all alone. At least, you had a home when you were living with us."

"I would rather not face your father..."

"He's the one who asked me to tell you, you know." she whispered, looking at him gently. "He's worried about you."

Shinichi blinked slowly, but otherwise said nothing.

"Shinichi, please, don't do this to yourself. Don't do this—to me. Please..."

"But that's exactly it, Ran. I don't want to do this to you anymore. I lied to you more than once. I was there all this time but I never told you because I was afraid of what they might do to you if they ever found out."

"But they're all gone, Shinichi. You made sure of that. They are not going to hurt you or anyone else. So—"

"But I'm not Kudo Shinichi anymore, Ran."

Her breathing hitched.

-.-

"_There is no antidote."_

"_...nani?"_

"_There's no antidote for the poison, Kudo-kun. I'm sorry."_

-.-

"I'm Edogawa Conan. I'll always be Edogawa Conan. Kudo Shinichi is dead."

Ran felt tears come to her eyes. "He's not dead!"

"To the world, he is." Shinichi answered, calmly, looking at the moon, seeing as the cloud drifted away and allowed its shine to illuminate the room once more. Ran could see the burning tears in his eyes as well—tears that he wouldn't allow to flow.

"To me, he isn't," Ran whispered, gazing at his figure. Suddenly, she blurted out. "Look at me."

He didn't move.

"Shinichi, onegai, look at me."

Yet, he didn't move a muscle. He kept his eyes on the moon the whole time. But she could see the slight twitch in his arm, and the shaking of his sad eyes. He was—

_Why...?_

"Please..."

"I...I can't..." he whispered, his voice strangled. "I...I don't know if—I can't..."

"Can't? Or won't?"

Shinichi's lapis lazuli eyes closed tightly, his hands inside his pockets curling into tight fists. He couldn't look at her. If he did, he might break. If he did, he might never be himself again. And he knew that when she would look back, she would see the illusion that she wanted to see.

He didn't want to keep her dangling anymore...

She should move on. She should forget him. He loved her too much to keep her waiting for him even though he knew that he was never coming back. He was never coming back to her the way she wanted—the way _he_ wanted!

She shouldn't live in a lie anymore...

He had taken away enough from her as it is.

"Go home, Ran," he said, lowering his head and allowing his coffee colored bangs to cover his closed eyes. "The one you seek isn't here anymore."

A single tear slid down her rosy cheek, but she complied, standing up and walking slowly out of the door.

She closed it behind her, leaning against it, trying to control her tears.

"Aishiteru, Ran..."

It was whispered, but she could hear it as loud as if it echoed all around the house. Her tears soaked her cheeks uncontrollably.

"I love you too, Shinichi..."

-.-

The next day, while Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran made their way towards Teitan High, Sonoko exclaimed her most recent news, excitedly.

"I confessed to Matoko-san yesterday!"

Ran paused, looking at her smiling friend. "Really?"

"Hai! And he said it back!" Sonoko squealed, bouncing in her step. "And he gave me wonderful news in the way. He's coming back to Japan. He's going to stay here for good, for me!"

Ran felt a small smile curl her lips at her friend's happiness. "That's great, Sonoko. Demo, I thought his dream was in America. He was so close to entering the Martial Art Academy there, ne?"

"I know." Sonoko sighed. "I tried to talk him out of it. I didn't want him to lose his dream for me, but he simply said that he had grown tired of America and wanted to come back."

Ran's lips curled a bit more.

She may not be a thinker, but she wasn't a fool. When Matoko said he was tired of America that meant that he was tired of living without Sonoko. He truly loved her and wanted to be with her—that's why he was giving up on his dream. It must have been a hard choice...

Choosing—between two things you desire the most...

Ran bent down and took off her outdoor shoes and placed it in her locker before placing her small feet into the indoor shoes. Straightening up, she looked around her school, feeling sad all of a sudden.

It would just be like any other day, ne?

-.-

Haibara Ai was feeling a lot of emotions right now. Anger, sadness, frustration, self-loathing, and pain.

Anger and frustration—she couldn't find an antidote. Try as hard as she tried, she couldn't find that single glitch that she made in the poison so that she could create an antidote. Why...? What did she do wrong in her calculations?

Sadness and pain—she had failed. She had promised her sister, Miyano Akemi, that she would right her wrongs. That she wanted to make her proud even if her sister wasn't there anymore. And now, Kudo-kun was the one suffering the consequences. Haibara didn't have something—or someone—to go back to. But Kudo Shinichi had and now, it was already too late.

Self-loathing—why did she ever make the poison in the first place? Where did she get the brilliant idea? Why did she get the brilliant idea? And why did Fate have to manipulate her this way?

Fate was so cruel!

She looked at the single red and white pill before her, feeling the anger rise even more. She wanted nothing more than to just squish it into thousands of dust particles, but somehow, she couldn't...

Something unknown was stopping her...

The door of the lab opened and closed silently. "Haibara-san..."

Haibara looked up, startled.

-.-

Mouri Kogoro and Kisaki Eri didn't usually meet eye to eye. But this time, they did. One, because both were working on the same case. Two, because both were worried about their daughter.

They just sat there, looking at each other in silence, not knowing what to do or say. They had discussed possibilities for cheering her up, they had discussed the possibility that maybe Ran should go live with her mother for a while. They discussed a lot of possibilities but none of them were satisfying enough.

None would make their daughter smile.

Only one thing would—and they both knew it! Yet, they were too stubborn to admit it out loud, to each other, or to themselves.

Because they didn't want to believe it!

_Knock. Knock._

The two adults looked up, surprised to see their daughter standing in the hallway, her hand still on the door, smiling at them.

"May I speak with you both, 'tousan? 'Kassan?"

Kogoro and Eri blinked, both nodding slowly.

Both knew before she even began what was going to happen.

-.-

_Shinichi, meet me at Beika Central Park around sunset. Ran..._

The voice message was simple and straightforward. Her voice was neutral, not conveying anything. Shinichi sighed, looking up at the clock. It was almost sunset. He decided to walk over now, he didn't want to be late. And whatever Ran wanted to tell him must have been important, for she usually comes over.

Stepping out into the cool breeze, he hugged his jacket closer to himself, his sneakers padding through the leave covered ground slowly. He inhaled deeply before exhaling. It has been two days since he had left the house for anything other than school. It was refreshing in a way.

He reached the park just as the sun was setting and stood, looking around. Still no sign of Ran. He decided to walk over to the edge of the fountain, and he looked down at his reflection in the crystal clear water.

He wasn't wearing his glasses. He didn't need them when he wasn't acting in school with the Shounen Tantei Dan. Right now, even though he didn't look like him, he was Shinichi.

He closed his eyes, allowing his hand to ripple the water slowly.

He felt the breeze swaying his bangs.

He felt a presence behind him.

"Shinichi..."

It was her voice, yet it was not. It was her, yet she wasn't. She had the same chocolate brown hair, yet it was shorter and halted to her shoulders. She had the same beautiful violet eyes, yet they were younger and childish—full of life, love, and longing. She had the same heart-shaped face, yet it was a face of a seven years old.

His breathing hitched. "Ran..."

The seven years old girl slowly walked towards him, eyes sparkling with tears. "I asked Haibara-san for the poison."

"D-D-Doushite?" his voice was shaking, his hands were shaking, his eyes were shaking and his whole body was shaking.

_Ran...! Why...? I'm not worth it... You threw away your life...! Why...? Why...? Why...?_

"Because I love you," she whispered, standing just a few inches away. "Because I want to be with you...even if we are seven or seventeen or seventy. I want to be with you..."

Tears were pricking his eyes as he voiced huskily, "Don't throw away your life..."

"You are my life, Shinichi." She whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks now. "I can't live without you. I tried it once, and you know what happened. Why should we make both of us suffer when the solution was simple?"

"Ran..."

"I chose this, Shinichi. No one forced me on anything, I swear. It was just me."

"Your parents? Sonoko? Everyone?"

"My parents understand," she smiled. "I talked to them. They were sad, but they didn't stop me. Sonoko and everyone else would understand too. And I don't care what they think. I only care about _you_."

A single tear escaped the dam, and it brushed down his cheek.

His arms were suddenly around her small frame, crushing her into his chest, burying his face into her silky chocolate brown hair. Ran's hand fisted at the back of his shirt, feeling his shoulders shaking, feeling herself shaking, but she also felt—for the first time in a long time—warm and safe.

This was the safest place she knew—right here, in his arms.

"Ran. Ran. Ran."

He chanted her name again and again, stroking her hair, keeping her tight against him, smelling her fragrance. She felt more tears cascade down her cheeks, but his warm hand brushed them away.

"God, I love you so much." he whispered, burying his face into her neck. "More than anyone else in this world."

"I know." Ran smiled against his neck, tears still escaping her violet eyes. "I love you too, Shinichi. More than life itself. More than any other dream I wanted to accomplish."

As the sun set behind the horizon, the two young seven years old—although seventeen in mind—stood there, holding each other in an endless embrace, finally at peace with the world.

They were happy. They were with each other. And with each other is where they belonged.

-.-

_10 years later..._

Kudo Shinichi took a sip from his juice, his eyes, over the rim of the glass, watching the seventeen years old lady's eyes sparkle as she looked out of the window, marvelling over the lights.

Beika City Sightseeing Restaurant was almost empty now, but Shinichi didn't care. He just watched as Mouri Ran exclaimed something or the other each time a certain light or thing caught her eyes. He smiled to himself, setting his glass down.

Ran, sensing him looking at her, smiled and looked at him, eyes still sparkling. "Nani? Is there something on my face?"

"Iie." He shook his head. "I just need to do something."

She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

He stood up, neatly tucked his chair back to its place before walking over to where she sat, kneeling down before her on one knee.

She blinked, startled. "Shinichi..."

His hand reached into his pocket. "Mouri Ran, I love you so much, more than anyone else in this world. Will you marry me?"

He produced a single box, opening it to reveal a beautiful silver band with a single ruby stone resting on top. Ran's eyes watered, before she looked up at his own lapis lazuli eyes.

She had to tease him a bit, even if her stomach was doing flip-flops and her mind was whirling around.

"Since when did you have this, Kudo?" she asked, smirking playfully.

He smirked back. "Since I was seventeen. The first time around, that it." he winked.

She laughed at their own private joke, leaning down to capture his lips in a most blissful kiss. Somewhere along the lines, Shinichi was able to slip the ring into her ring finger, before cupping her neck with one hand and playing with her hair with the other .

Ran slowly broke the kiss, eyes glittering with happiness. "Of course I will, Kudo Shinichi no baka!"

Shinichi had to grin up at her, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Does that mean I have the privilege to take you home with me?"

Ran couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her mouth as she leaned back in, kissing him again. He responded, standing up and made her stand up too, twirling her around.

He broke it this time, resting his forehead against hers.

"So?" he smiled down at her.

She smiled sensually at him. "I think it might be a huge possibility."

Shinichi grinned back and didn't waste a second in paying for their food and helping his future bride out of the restaurant and into his car.

"Shinichi..."

He glanced at her, his face showing just how much he was happy and in cloud nine. "Hmm..."

"You were worth it."

He reached out and took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles, long and affectionately.

It was such a simple statement, but to him it meant the world.

**_The End!_**

**_Note: _**_Your opinion matters the most! Let me know what you think! :)_


End file.
